The present invention relates to fire sprinklers and pertains particularly to an improved apparatus and method for the installation of fire sprinkler heads.
Fire sprinkler systems are required in most new high-rise buildings and in most multi-unit residential buildings, whether high-rise or not. Many jurisdictions require the installation of sprinkler systems in the renovation of any building.
Fire sprinker nozzles are usually mounted in the ceiling of a building, with the water supply pipe or conduit being mounted in a space above the ceiling. Most modern commercial buildings have a false (or suspended) ceiling above which the sprinkler pipe is mounted and through which the sprinkler head extends. The suspended ceiling comprises removable panels supported in a suspended frame.
Most residential buildings have a fixed ceiling of either wallboard or lath and plaster through which the sprinkler head extends. The wallboard and lath and plaster is attached to the lower side of ceiling joists. The water pipes are either in the attic or in the space between floor and ceiling in multi-story buildings.
In most new construction, the sprinkler system is installed first, and the ceiling structure is built or fitted around the sprinkler head after it has been installed. This frequently results in many of the sprinkler heads being damaged and inoperative when the building has been completed. It is then necessary to test and replace many of the sprinkler heads. This is expensive and time consuming.
The retrofitting of sprinkler systems in older buildings usually requires the partial removal of the existing ceiling, and the installation of the sprinkler system. The ceiling is then reconstructed over the sprinkler pipes and around the sprinkler heads. The location of holes in ceiling panels for fitting over and around the sprinkler heads is also a difficult task.
The present invention was conceived and developed as a means for overcoming the above-identified problems.